Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 249
CHENEY - Turnbull National Wildlife refuge will be conducting a prescribed burn on Oct 19. For public and firefighter safety, the auto tour route will be closed and there may be traffic control in place on Smith Road during the day. The remainder of the public use area will be open. Visitors should plan for smoke in and around the refuge and nearby roads, and caution is advised when driving through areas of lower visibility. These prescribed fires will reduce the risk of wildf...
SPOKANE – Spokane County Assessor Tom Konis said property tax relief may be available to those who had property destroyed by regional fires. Residents with direct property losses due to the fires may call the Assessor’s Office to see if they qualify, he said. The office will then evaluate the taxpayer’s claim and determine if the property and taxpayer qualify for a reduction in value and tax relief. The County Treasurer will calculate the amount of the abatements and/or refun...
MEDICAL LAKE – A Ford man was hospitalized Aug. 25 when his motorcycle slammed into the side of a truck that was crossing Highway 2. Sean McCormick, 49, of Ford, was transported to a Spokane hospital, the Washington State Patrol reported. The driver of the truck, Steve Landt, 72, of Reardan, is facing possible charges in the crash, the patrol reported. Landt was southbound on Brooks Road in a 1989 Toyota pickup, attempting to cross the highway, the patrol reported.. He p...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The City Council unanimously moved forward with a Police Department request to purchase additional firearms during the Aug. 28 study session. According to Police Chief Brad Richmond, the department needs to allocate additional guns. Richmond is looking to surplus 20 Glock Model 17 fourth-generation handguns so they can reinvest in newer firearms. Once older firearms are sold as surplus, the proceeds would be put back in the budget to use for future e...
MEDICAL LAKE – Bringing a community together is helping to alleviate some of the loss people are dealing with here. With that in mind, a community event was held on Aug. 23. According to Chris Munoz, the Spokane County Firefighters Pipes and Drums group came up with an idea for a fundraiser with very little time to plan. "We started planning the event less than 24 hours from the time we wanted to hold it," Munoz said. "We developed a logo honoring fire victims and had as m...
MEDICAL LAKE - Medical Lake Student Services hosted a back-to-school event at The Wellness Center, 317 N. Broad St. on Aug. 9 to help offer services to families and students before the school year starts. The event ran from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. and offered food, fun, and filled family needs at the same time. School staff were on site making fresh hot dogs for guests, and handing out ice water and popsicles to help folks beat the heat. The local community outreach group was also...
SPOKANE VALLEY – Many groups have stepped up efforts to help evacuate, house, care for and reunite animals with their families after regional fires drove thousands of people and animals to evacuate. The Humane Evacuation Animal Rescue Team, otherwise known as HEART, has been helping with animals taken to the Spokane County Fairgrounds and evacuation centers. According to the group's President, Marian Ortiz, they have housed and cared for over 550 animals at one point while v...
MEDICAL LAKE – One of the difficult parts of cleaning up after a wildfire is doing so safely as hazardous materials may exist in the aftermath. According to the Spokane Regional Health District, there are a lot of reasons for people to take precautions when cleaning burned property. Along with the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, the health district advises taking precautions during the process. Fires leave behind a multitude of materials including burned wood, melted p...
MEDICAL LAKE – A long time bluegrass musician and experienced fiddler has once again participated in the annual Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival held Aug. 11-13. JayDean Ludiker, Owner of Ludiker Music said she tries to get involved in as many community events as possible because she is very passionate about music. "I grew up in Spokane Valley in a family where everyone played an instrument," Ludiker said. "I watched my father play, and he took me around the country as he played...
SPOKANE – During an Aug. 20 press conference at Spokane Falls Community College, Washington Governor Jay Inslee gave a Medical Lake resident the Washingtonian of the Day Award. Joe David, who works at Lakeland Village and lives in Medical Lake lost his home in the Gray Fire. He was recognized by Inslee for his efforts in evacuating dozens of wheelchair bound people from Lakeland Village, and then made the decision to evacuate a second time. “A fella there recognized that eve...
SPOKANE – One day after declaring a state of emergency in the state due to the wildfires burning, Governor Jay Inslee traveled to the area to discuss the issue. The proclamation released on Aug. 19 says the state has experienced high temperatures mixed with very dry conditions. The current fires are exhausting many available resources, and according to the document, these resources may not be adequate to deal with the current situation or any potential wildfire outbreaks in t...
CHENEY — Fire officials are expecting gubernatorial candidate and State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz to visit the fire-ravaged areas in Medical Lake and Cheney on Sunday. At last estimate, the Gray Fire was between 8,000 and 9,500 acres in size - and growing. At least 185 homes, were destroyed Friday, and more succumbed to the flames Saturday. As the state Department of Natural Resources prepares to turn over management of the growing fire to a Type II Incident M...
MEDICAL LAKE — Through a blanket of heavy haze and smoke, a few residents were sifting through belongings, and checking their properties Saturday, Aug. 19, after the Gray Fire raced through the area. Some areas of town have been left untouched such as Ruby's Resort, and the downtown area. Southern Medical Lake was impacted in some areas, and other neighborhoods were spared. Off state Highway 902, the neighborhood along Freeman Drive was left smoldering in large part, with s...
MEDICAL LAKE - Multiple fires exploded Friday afternoon across both Spokane and Whitman Counties, leaving at least one person dead and burning thousands of acres. Evacuation notices were issued for Medical Lake, Cheney, Four Lakes, Elk, Winona and other places. The larger fires were reported in Medical Lake and Elk, both in Spokane County, and Winona, in central Whitman County. At least one person died and multiple homes were destroyed in the Gray Fire, which broke out about...
CHENEY — An area here that was under a Level 2 evacuation notice has been upgraded to Level 3 because of the encroaching Gray Fire. This includes the area east of Interstate 90 south of Salnave Road, west of Mullinix Road and North of State Highway 904. Level 3 notices mean fire is imminent and those choosing to evacuate should do so. A new area has been put under a Level 2 notice, as well. A Level 2 notice means fire is approaching and residents who want to evacuate should be...
CHENEY – Traffic has been lined up for hours throughout the city as the Gray Fire continues to burn near Interstate 90. Currently, the fire is most active in the Salnave area west of Cheney and in the Tyler area. Smoke, and actively burning fires have forced the continued closure of both the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-90, so traffic is being filed through Cheney from both sides. The interstate is closed at Sprague for eastbound travelers and Geiger for folks trying t...
SPOKANE VALLEY – John Hohman city manager and John Whitehead human resources director came to council on Aug. 15 asking for some classifications to be adjusted within the city employee system. Whitehead said he wants to see some reclassifications done in regard to employee titles. “We believe these changes will allow us to respond more quickly and effectively to changes in the community,” Whitehead said. “Specifically, what it would do is create two new classifications.” “One classification would be the Communicati...
SPOKANE VALLEY - The Community and Public Works Director for Spokane Valley, Bill Helbig brought discussion about a memorandum of understanding to council on Aug. 15. The memorandum specifically addresses some ongoing road work, and also implements some simultaneous water line replacement. “This is for work and pavement preservation in areas they are replacing water mains,” Helbig said. “They are in the process of putting in water lines, and their work is actually going to tea...
MEDICAL LAKE - Area residents got to flood Waterfront Park in Medical Lake for bluegrass music. The annual three day bluegrass music festival that brings Medical Lake together was held over the weekend. According to Blue Waters President, Nick Burgis, this year's festival had a great turnout. "We had a fantastic turnout this year," Burgis said. "We had a lot of people by full weekend passes and others that stopped by for Saturday's showing." Burgis said the effort put forth by...
Wheat harvests are in full swing in the region as tractors can be seen rolling along the hills. Washington is the third leading state in terms of wheat production putting out 144 million bushels last year according to the Washington Grain Commission. That number was a 65 percent increase from the previous year. The average in for winter wheat was 68 bushels per acre, and the spring yield was 46 bushels per acre according to the United States Dept. of Agriculture. Conditions ha...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The Parks and Recreation Department may be modifying the language used in permits pertaining to park use. According to Parks and Recreation Director J.C. Kennedy, city parks are getting used more this year than he has seen previously. “So, the parks are getting used more this summer than we’ve had since I’ve been working for the city for 23 years,” Kennedy said. During the Aug. 14 City Council meeting, Kennedy said some groups using parks have presented...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – With the region growing as rapidly as it is, one group that is staying busy is the West Plains Chamber of Commerce. The chamber brought in a new Chief Executive Officer close to two years ago, Mark Losh. According to Losh the chamber has been involved in a lot of the growth residents see. One of the biggest changes is the chamber transitioned into an initiative driven chamber rather than being an event driven chamber. This success has helped them upgrade t...
CHENEY - On Aug. 16 the West Plains Chamber of Commerce held their annual breakfast event on the famous red turf at Roos Field. As guests were filling themselves with a hot breakfast, college leaders filled the air with motivating speeches. Eastern Washington President Shari McMahan welcomed guests and said she is excited for the new academic year. Eastern Washington University's new Athletic Director, Tim Collins provided some insight into his new role, his vision for Eagle...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – During the Aug. 14 council session Principal Planner Heather Trautman spoke about developing a potential partnership as a new medical facility is slated to be added to a section along 6th Ave. According to Trautman the project is a group project, with some funding being a grant from Spokane Transit Authority. The project would extend W 6th Ave. past S. Ketchum Drive connecting it to S. Craig Rd. Trautman said that after the initial two-million-dollar grant h...
SPOKANE - An effort started by a group working with Alaska Airlines will soon be made available to all airlines at Spokane International Airport. The Fallen Soldier Group at Alaska Airlines is a group of volunteers who ensure the fallen men and women of the military are treated with honor and respect when being transported by Alaska Airlines. This year the procession will be escorted by the Washington Patriot Guard riders according to Chuck Lashley, Assistant State Captain of...
